During the dawn of cinema, no filmmaker was more creative and fantastic than the French magician turned director Georges Méliès, the man behind countless classic fantasies. "The Mermaid" is among his many efforts and it enraptures his style more so than most of his other movies can. Méliès, himself, plays the lead role as a magician who shows off some of his finest tricks before finally summoning a mermaid as a sort of climax to his act. The film is comical and light in tone and is likely to leave most viewers with a bright, shining smile across their lips, and many will be able to find that stem in their brain that encourages all of the wonderment and excitement of childhood.
The editing here is clearly revolutionary for its time, although it may seem ridiculously flawed and obvious nowadays, back in 1905 it was anything but. Classic camera tricks are constantly being used to their full advantage as Méliès playfully shows off his skills in the crafts of magic and cinema (or, should I say, cinemagic).
The editing here is clearly revolutionary for its time, although it may seem ridiculously flawed and obvious nowadays, back in 1905 it was anything but. Classic camera tricks are constantly being used to their full advantage as Méliès playfully shows off his skills in the crafts of magic and cinema (or, should I say, cinemagic).